The present invention relates to a paper feeding apparatus and a driving method thereof for an office machine, such as a printer, a copy machine, a scanner, a fax, a multi-function office machine or an all-in-one office machine.
An office machine inevitably requires a paper feeding apparatus for feeding paper sheets to be processed by the office machine. The related prior arts refer to the following: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,392,092; 5,296,908; 4,798,374; 4,975,749; 4,984,779; 5,016,061; 4,846,456; 5,054,768; 4,905,054; 4,979,727; and 5,228,669.
A typical paper feeding apparatus of an office machine must meet the needs of feeding the paper sheets accurately. The paper feeding apparatus should feed the paper sheets in order, such that a misfeed or a double feed of the paper sheets does not take place. Moreover, the leading edge of the delivered paper sheet should be well aligned so that distortion of the sheet does not occur during the process performed by the office machine.
The current. design for office machines gravitate towards the desk-top type, multi-function and even all-in-one design in order to increase usefulness and portability. The so-called multi-function or all-in-one office machine combines the functions of various office equipments into one. Obviously, the current office machine still requires simple-configuration, light-weight and compact components to reduce weight of the machine and space occupied by the machine. Accordingly, an objective of the invention is to provide a simple-configuration, light-weight and compact paper feeding apparatus for an office machine. Moreover, the paper feeding apparatus feeds paper sheets into the office machine accurately.
In addition, another objective of the invention is to provide a method for driving such simple-configuration, light-weight and compact paper feeding apparatus. Moreover, the method can drive the paper feeding apparatus feeding paper sheets into the office machine accurately.
The objective of the invention is to provide a paper feeding apparatus for an office machine. The office machine includes a paper accommodating device and a paper processing apparatus. The paper accommodating device accommodates paper sheets to be processed by the paper processing apparatus. The paper feeding apparatus feeds the paper sheets accommodated by the paper accommodating device one by one to the paper processing apparatus. In particular, the paper feeding apparatus is simple-configuration, light-weight and compact, and feeds paper sheets into the office machine accurately.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the paper feeding apparatus includes a pickup roller, a delivery roller, a pair of feeding rollers, a detection device and a driving device. The detection device detects a leading edge and a trailing edge of the paper sheet delivered by the paper feeding apparatus. The pickup roller selectively picks up an uppermost sheet of the paper sheets accommodated by the paper accommodating device. The delivery roller delivers the paper sheet picked up by the pickup roller. The feeding rollers selectively blocks delivery of the paper sheet, or selectively delivering the paper sheet delivered from the delivery roller to the paper processing apparatus. The detection device detects a leading edge and a trailing edge of the paper sheet being delivered by the paper feeding apparatus. The driving device, in response to the result detected by the detection device, selectively drives the rotation of the pick roller, delivery roller and feeding rollers.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a driving method for driving such paper feeding apparatus so as to feeding paper sheets by the paper feeding apparatus into the office machine accurately.
According to the driving method, while the feeding apparatus starts picking up and feeding the paper sheets, the driving device drives the pickup roller rotating in a first direction to pick up the uppermost sheet of the paper sheets accommodated by the paper accommodating device, drives the delivery roller rotating in the first direction to deliver the paper sheet delivered from the pickup roller, and drives an active roller of the feeding rollers rotating in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, to block the paper sheet delivered from the delivery roller. While the leading edge of the paper sheet delivered through the paper feeding apparatus. is located between the delivery roller and the feeding rollers, after a delay of short period of time, the driving device stops driving the pickup roller, drives the delivery roller rotating in the first direction still, and drives the active roller rotating in the first direction to deliver the paper sheet delivered from the delivery roller to the paper processing apparatus.